This week ABC will quietly revolutionize its app for iPhones and iPads with a button called “live.” Users around New York and Philadelphia will be able to live-stream all the programming from ABC’s local stations there, the first time that any major broadcaster has turned on such a technology.

There's one important caveat, though, as noted by GigaOm: after a six-week introductory phase that will be open to anyone in those two cities, the live stream will be accessible only to paying subscribers of cable and satellite television providers.
The live stream is set to debut on Tuesday, May 14, the day of ABC's upcoming upfront presentation for advertisers. The functionality will be made available first on iOS devices, with other smartphones and tablets to follow.
Its launch is seen as ABC's answer to the increasing popularity of cable channels and streaming services like Netflix among viewers.
It appears that ABC's live-stream feature will be available not on the network's existing ABC Player app. Rather, it will be available on a new app to be called Watch ABC, in keeping with the nomenclature of the Watch Disney Channel and WatchESPN apps.